Blaine bit back tears as he walked up the stairs from the courtyard, leaving a smiling Kurt surrounded by his friends.

He’s better off here, Blaine reminded himself firmly, blinking rapidly as he turned away. He can be happy again.

----

As he walked back to his car, hands stuffed in his blazer pockets, Blaine remembered their conversation earlier that week.

“You have to go back,” Blaine said.

“I--what?” Kurt said, startled.

“You have to go back,” Blaine repeated.

“Blaine, I--”

“They need you,” Blaine interrupted. “And you need them. I know how much you miss your friends, Kurt, and it kills me to see you so lonely all the time.

“I’m not lonely,” Kurt protested. “I have you and...” He trailed off, realizing that he didn’t really talk with anyone else at Dalton unless he was grouped with other students for projects.

“I’m not enough.”

“Yes, you a--”

“Kurt. Look at me for a second.”

Kurt raised his eyes from his textbook, meeting Blaine’s serious gaze. Blaine reached a hand across the table, offering it palm up to Kurt. Kurt smiled a little, tentatively clasping Blaine’s hand in his. He still wasn’t used to being able to freely touch someone--another boy without worrying about the repercussions.

“I know I’m your only real friend here, Kurt,” Blaine said. “And now I’m your...boyfriend, which complicates matters even further. But you can’t stay here. Dalton isn’t the place for you.” Blaine ran his thumb gently over the back of Kurt’s hand. “You needed to be here for a while. To recover from all the shit you were dealing with, to come back to yourself. But this is not the place for you.”� He reached across the table with his free hand, tracing Kurt’s cheek gently. “And you know it as well as I do.”

A single tear fell from Kurt’s eye as he nodded. “But...what about...”

“I’ll be fine,” Blaine said. “I’ll have to get used to calling you at night and driving over on the weekends, but we can make it work.” He rested his hand on top of Kurt’s, clasping it between both of his and squeezing gently. “If you want to, that is.”

Kurt shook his head. “Of course I do,” he replied, wiping tears from his eyes and shooting a watery smile at Blaine.

“I’m never saying goodbye to you.”

-----

Blaine nearly walked into the side of the car as the memory finished replaying in his mind. He pulled his keys from his pockets, ignoring the way his hand shook and his vision blurred as he slid the key into the lock. He tugged the door open, throwing himself into the driver’s seat and slamming the door shut. He leaned his head on the steering wheel, inhaling deeply as he tried to hold back his tears. His phone vibrated, startling him, and he jerked upright, pulling his phone from his pocket.

Message from Kurt:

How did you convince the council to perform in a public place?

Blaine shook his head, feeling tears slide unbidden down his cheeks as he sent a reply.

Message to Kurt:

Can’t share that information. Might have to kill you. What did you think?

Blaine held his breath as he waited for Kurt to respond.

Message from Kurt:

We’re still trying to figure out where the piano came from. We’ve never seen it before.

Blaine laughed softly, more tears sliding down his cheeks as a smile fought its way onto his face.

Message to Kurt:

Can’t tell you that, either. Warbler code forbids it.

Message from Kurt:

Warbler code, really, Blaine? You expect me to believe that?

Message from Kurt:

Honestly, though, it was...amazing. Thank you so much.

Blaine sighed, feeling as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Keeping his plan a secret from Kurt had been nearly impossible--he’d had to recruit the other Warblers to keep Kurt occupied as they rehearsed in every spare moment--and even then, Kurt had nearly walked in on them several times. Being an a cappella choir had its perks, though. They didn’t have to worry about killing the music before Kurt pulled the doors open. They had stationed at least one person with an ear to the door, listening for approaching footsteps and motioning for quiet until the sound had passed.

And if Kurt had suspected anything, he certainly hadn’t shared his thoughts.

Message to Kurt:

I’m glad you liked it.

Message from Kurt:

I LOVED it.

Message from Kurt:

Meet me for coffee tonight? My treat!

Blaine rolled his eyes, wiping the last of the tears from his cheeks.

Message to Kurt:

Absolutely. I can’t wait to hear about your day :)

Blaine jammed his key into the ignition, cranking the engine and shifting the car into Drive. As his foot lifted from the brake pedal, his phone buzzed once more.

Message from Kurt:

Don’t cry because I’m gone. At least, try not to.

Blaine shoved the gearshift back into Park.

Message to Kurt:

No promises.

Message from Kurt:

I want to be there for you, like you’ve been there for me.

A tap at his window startled Blaine, making him jerk away with a choked-off shout.

Kurt stood there, smiling a little, his head tilted to the side. He stepped away from the door, holding his arms wide.�

Blaine scrambled out of his car, leaving the engine running and the door open as he threw his arms around Kurt. Kurt held him tightly as Blaine clung to him, sobbing into his shoulder and breathing raggedly.�

Not a word was exchanged between them as Blaine pulled away, face flushed and eyes wet from crying. He took Kurt’s hands in his and cleared his throat before speaking.

“See you tonight? Usual time?”

Kurt nodded. “See you then.”

Blaine pulled away, re-entering his car and waving to Kurt as he drove away.

Kurt’s gaze remained focused on Blaine’s car until it had vanished from sight. Only then did he turn around, barely acknowledging the curious gazes of the students who had been watching. He strode quickly towards the building, not wanting to be late to class.

As he tucked his bag under his desk, his phone vibrated, and he yanked it out, intending to hurriedly silence it before stowing it in his bag. A text notification was on the display, and he shook his head, smiling a little as he read the two words.

Blaine

COURAGE

Before he could send a reply, another message notification popped up.

Blaine

Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

Kurt rolled his eyes, sending off a reply before silencing his phone and storing it in his satchel.

----

Blaine was parked a few blocks down from McKinley when his phone vibrated.

Kurt:

You’re ridiculous. Just for that, I’m going to make you go shopping with me this weekend. And don’t even think about suggesting we go to the mall.

Blaine laughed, his entire body shaking with the motion. He sent a quick reply to Kurt before pulling away from the curb.

It was going to take some work, but the two of them were going to be okay.

As long as Kurt’s happy, I can do whatever it takes to keep him that way, Blaine thought, glancing in his rear-view mirror at the school building fading from sight.

Even if it means losing the constant company of my best friend.